


Clint and Bucky's Magical Adventure

by Queerily_kai



Category: Hawkeye (Comics), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Centaur!clint, Dont copy to another site, Established Relationship, Everyone is over this shit, Everyone needs a vacation, Everyone swears, Fairies, Hiking, Humor, M/M, Magical Artifacts, Magical object retreival, Mission Fic, Tropical Drinks, alcohol mention, appalachian trail, ugh magic no
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-03
Updated: 2019-08-03
Packaged: 2020-07-30 10:50:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,529
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20096059
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Queerily_kai/pseuds/Queerily_kai
Summary: Clint and Bucky just want to go on a vacation to a tropical island with white sandy beaches, but SHIELD has other plans for them. It was supposed to be an easy mission to a cabin in the woods in Maine to retrieve a magical artifact, but the mission itself it anything but easy.  Nothing goes as planned, neither of them want to be there, and then the Fairy prince gets involved.Clint, who is an idiot, accidently makes a deal with the fairy, and finds himself turned into a centaur.  Those tropical drinks with little umbrellas keep getting more and more appealing.





	Clint and Bucky's Magical Adventure

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [ART - Artwork for Clint and Bucky's Magical Adventure](https://archiveofourown.org/works/20100805) by [OriginalCeenote](https://archiveofourown.org/users/OriginalCeenote/pseuds/OriginalCeenote). 

> My writing contribution to the 2019 Winterhawk Reverse Big Bang! 
> 
> This fic was prompted by wonderful art by Origionalceenote of Clint as a Centaur, which can be viewed [ here!](https://archiveofourown.org/works/20100805) I had lots of fun with this fic incorporating Magic and Faries.

Bucky would say that the whole thing was totally Clint’s fault because Clint is an idiot. Clint would say that the magic had done it, and insist that he was not in control of the situation, but in the end he saved the day. The fairy, who had returned to the magical realm, would never be found to prove anything, and would probably refuse to help anyway. And the people who heard the story after the fact? They would nod along refusing to take sides, while waiting for Bucky or Clint to finally break and admit that it was all an elaborate joke, and finally get on with the actual mission report. An admission would never come though, because while there was some serious debate over who or what was to blame, it was the truth. And the truth was that Clint had been turned into a centaur for about two hours.

Three days earlier, Clint and Bucky had been paired up to retrieve an artifact for S.H.I.E.L.D. up in Northern Maine, which involved a hike up to a cave in the middle of the Hundred Mile Wilderness to get an object that they _‘would know is what they came for as soon as they saw it’._ They were told that there had been a former agent who retired to the region many years ago, and had taken the object to keep hidden and safe under his watchful eye. This former agent had passed away recently, of natural causes according to his S.H.I.E.L.D. file. His file also said that he had been 87, so it was probably the truth.

Neither Clint nor Bucky were happy about the situation. 

“Ok, so let me get this straight,” Bucky said, crossing his arms. Clint laughed out loud at the word straight coming out of Bucky’s mouth, remembering what that mouth had done the night before with a grin, and received an elbow to the ribs from Bucky in response. 

“Not everything is about sex, asshole,” Bucky mumbled, before beginning again, making a point to avoid looking at Clint. “So let me get this straight. You want the two of us to go on a hike in a place called the Hundred Mile Wilderness, the literal middle of nowhere, to find some hermit's cabin. And then we have to find a map with the coordinates to a secret cave to find a mystery object that we will just somehow recognize. Do we look like fucking boyscouts?” 

“This feels like a horror movie setup. You know I hate jumpscares,” Clint commented. “Or some kinda Indiana Jones shit.” 

Steve leaned back in his chair, facepalming hard. He should have expected this kind of reaction, but was somehow still surprised. Fury had argued that an easy, private mission should appease them for a while, and put the requests for a vacation on hiatus. Steve should have known that this was a terrible plan that would likely result in even more requests for a vacation. 

Sam and Nat, who had no involvement in the mission, were sitting back and enjoying the show. A bowl of popcorn between them wouldn’t have been out of place. 

“Yeah, that really is the mission Buck,” Steve answered, sounding exhausted. “This is a powerful object that S.H.I.E.L.D. can’t allow into the wrong hands. It probably is just a basic object retrieval mission, but we really don’t know what we are dealing with, or who else it may attract.”

Later that evening, Steve sat on Natasha’s couch attempting to draw, trying to relax and clear his mind while Natasha did her nails. Instead, he was repeatedly throwing down his pencil to dramatically rant about another thing.

“And another thing!” he cried out, slamming down his pencil so hard it bounced to the floor. “We were trying to do them a favor with this assignment, something easy that would give them some time together! You’d think they would be excited with all the complaining they do about not getting to spend couple time together, despite the fact that they share a bed almost every night.” 

“I don't think this is the kind of couple time they meant,” Natasha said without looking up from her nails. She had already filed them to sharp points and was now painting them bright red. Steve knew that, but he had been in a mood, and complaining about everything made him want to punch things less. A tiny bit less. 

“Maybe not, but still!” Steve argued, punching a finger into the air like there was a point to be made. “It’s an easy mission! No bad guys to fight, no enemy bases to infiltrate, no danger!”

“Exactly. None of the things that they are good at. It’s not a mission that requires their skill sets,” Natasha replied, moving on to her other hand. “I would be complaining about it too.” 

Steve leaned back with a sigh, recognizing how high on the stupid bullshit meter this whole situation was. This mission was not suited to their skills. It shouldn’t have been given to any of the Avengers, but something about it scared Fury enough to demand the big guns on this one. Reality was that they were set to leave the following morning, and it was too late to find another team to send instead, so they would just have to suck it up. 

\----

Up in their room, Clint and Bucky had given up on packing for the mission to resume complaining as well.

“I don't know why Steve thinks we would want to go on this hiking trip. Doesn’t he realize how many bears are up there? And moose? Do you realize how fucking huge moose are?” Bucky ranted, pacing in circles around Clint who was sitting on the floor. “Isn’t there an intern they could have sent for this?”

“Are you really worried about bears? Seriously? Because I seem to recall you fought one once, successfully,” Clint said, eyeing Bucky’s metal arm as he clenched and unclenched his fist. He hoped Bucky wouldn’t accidently break anything, or at least nothing that belonged to Clint this time. Last time Bucky had gone on a rant like this he absentmindedly picked up Clint’s favorite coffee mug and crushed it in his metal hand. (And then apologized later that evening by giving Clint an amazing blow job. The things that man could do with his tongue…)

“Just because I was forced to fight a bear in a crazy Russian Gulag gladiator situation doesn't mean I'm up for fighting random bears in the woods.” Bucky paused his pacing in front of Clint and looked down at him. “Besides, that’s not the point.” 

“Bucky, come here,” Clint said calmly, reaching a hand up to Bucky. “Come sit with me and calm down.” Bucky sighed, and then plopped down on the floor in front of Clint, both of them cross legged with their knees touching. Most of the people who knew Clint and Bucky assumed that Clint was the impulsive idiot in the relationship while Bucky was the more logical one, and while sometimes that was true, it wasn’t always the case. Sometimes Clint was the logical calm one reeling Bucky back in after calling him out. 

“This isn’t actually about bears, is it,” Clint stated, taking Bucky’s hands in his. Bucky sighed and gave Clints hand a squeeze as he took a breath. Clint was calling him out, again. 

“I just really don’t want to do this. I don’t want to go on this bullshit mission to a cave in who the fuck knows where to get some stupid object,” Bucky admitted. “I want a real vacation, on a beach somewhere, with fruity drinks with little umbrellas. With just you.”

Bucky put up a good front in public, claiming to only like manly things like guns and straight whisky, but he also had a soft side that liked pink fruity drinks and cuddling. It was a side that only Clint got to see most of the time. They weren’t big on public displays of affection either, keeping the touching and kissing to a minimum around other people, but that was just them. It was a comfort level thing. It didn’t make them any less gay however, as was proven by their two year relationship. 

It did make for some confusion two years ago, when they had first told the rest of the team that they were together, and no one believed them at first, because no one had seen them acting like a couple. It took Clint getting drunk with the team after a mission, and then tackling Bucky onto a couch to aggressively make out with him, and Bucky happily returning the affection for everyone to realize it was not, in fact, a joke. 

“I want that too,” Clint assured Bucky, rhythmically stroking the back of Bucky’s flesh hand with his thumb. “We will tell Steve tomorrow morning, before we leave, that when we get back we are taking a vacation and we’ll just go whether we get permission or not. We’ll find someplace with those little beach cabins, and waiters to bring us drinks with umbrellas and it will just be us. And the waiter. And probably a bartender.”

Bucky nodded, looking more relaxed after hearing Clint’s suggestion. 

“You sure we can’t go there tomorrow instead?” Bucky asked looking up at Clint. 

Clint wished he could say yes, he wanted to tell Bucky that they could skip the trip to Maine and go straight to the beach, but he knew that couldn’t happen. They had to do this mission first, and someone had to be the adult about it. It seemed to be Clints turn. 

“I wish we could too, but we have to finish this mission. But I promise, as soon as we get back, we’ll head out to someplace tropical.”

Bucky frowned, but didn’t say anything. Instead, he leaned forward to kiss Clint, grabbing his hips to pull him closer until Clint was falling into his lap. They kissed until they were both breathless, bodies pressed together with limbs tangled on the floor surrounded by various items of clothing and camping gear that still needed to be packed. 

Bucky tried to argue that they should get directly to bed to finish what they had started on the floor and finish packing in the morning. Clint reluctantly argued back that their boners could wait a little longer, because that would mean having to get up even earlier in the morning, and early mornings were something they both hated. The packing job was rushed, and their bags had awkward bulges from things being literally shoved in as quickly as possible, but that was a problem for the following day. 

\----

The following day, no one was happy. Steve, who was supposed to fly them out to the trailhead, had convinced Natasha to take them instead because he didn’t want to hear any more of Clint and Bucky’s complaining. Because Steve also needed a Vacation. Natasha had agreed because she didn’t want to hear any more of Steve’s complaining, even though she wasn’t supposed to be involved in this mission at all. Clint and Bucky were unhappy about having to get out of bed before 7am (the inhumanity!) and only did so after Natasha’s threats escalated from busting in to wake them up with a Nerf gun, to a Super Soaker, and finally with her widow bites. The mention of the widow bites had them moving, since she had followed through with that particular threat in the past, and they were not too tough to admit that that shit fucking hurt. 

Natasha was quick to usher them out of the quinjet once they found a landing place, happy to get away from Clint and Bucky’s negative brooding energy. 

“Have a good time boys!” she called out as they bitched and moaned their way through picking up their gear and getting off the plane. 

“We will try!” Clint called out as the doors shut. “Thanks for the ride!”

They would not, in actuality, have a good time. And they most definitely were not thankful about being deposited on the side of a gravel road that went from nowhere to nowhere to start their mission. 

The plan was for them to be out for three days, with a pick up scheduled for the third evening in the same place they were dropped off. Day one would be a 15 mile hike to the hermit's cabin where they would stay the night. At the cabin they would have to search for a map or some kind of directions to the cave, that everyone was just assuming existed, so they could then go find said cave and retrieve this object on day two, and then return to the cabin for a second night. Day three would be the same the same 15 mile hike in reverse back to their pick up spot. Easy. 

They should have known that this mission would be anything but easy. 

“Hey!” Bucky called out, jerking his arm away from Clint who had slapped his forearm. Hard. With no warning. “What the hell was that for?”

“There was a giant mosquito biting you,” Clint said, wiping the guts and blood from his fingers onto Bucky’s pants. “You’re welcome.”

Bucky glared, and then slapped Clints shoulder in retaliation. 

“Is it dead?” Clint asked hopefully. 

“Wasn’t anything to kill,” Bucky replied with a grin. He wouldn't tell Clint, who had spent the entire first hour of the mission (because yes, it had only been an hour so far) slapping himself and swatting at the air around him as the walked, that mosquito bites didn’t affect him. Something the Russians did to him, or maybe Hydra. Sure the mosquitos would still bite him, but the bites never got itchy or swollen. Clint on the other hand had already been bitten so many times he looked like he was coming down with hives. He did not need to know that Bucky wasn’t at least suffering a little.

Now saying that this mission was to the middle of nowhere isn’t much of an exaggeration. Northern Maine is pretty low on people, aside from hermits and loggers, and more than makes up for it in wildlife and insects. And the mosquitoes especially are not your public park and backyard variety who may rethink their approach if a citronella candle is around. Oh no, these mosquitoes would eat your backyard variety, laugh at your candle, and invite their whole extended family to feast on you unless you had marinated yourself in Deep Woods Off with extra deet before hand. 

By the time they arrived at the hut, Clint had gone through an entire can of bug spray after insisting they stop and reapply hourly, had learned and then relearned what deet tasted like, and was still swollen head to toe with bites. A small part of Bucky was upset about the suffering Clint had gone through that day, while a larger part was laughing about it. 

The hike was long, but not difficult, as they followed the Appalachian trail through miles of forest. They saw no other people, but there was no shortage of chipmunks, squirrels and birds as they made their way from tree to tree painted with a stripe of white to mark the way. Four hours in, and just past the halfway point, a deer darting across the trail had been the most exciting thing that had happened. 

“White marker,” Clint called out, pointing ahead to the next painted tree.  
Bucky groaned, but said nothing.  
“White marker,” Clint repeated, pointing to a rock this time. “White marker.” 

“Do you have to call out every single painted stripe you see?” Bucky growled, growing impatient with Clint’s announcements. “I see them, and it’s not like the trail is hard to make out through here, even without the markers.” 

Clint shrugged, and reached out to slap another mosquito from Bucky’s neck.  
“Dead Mosquito,” Clint replied with a grin. 

Bucky glared, and then picked up his walking pace to get ahead of Clint. 

“White…” Clint began again.

“Shut up!” Bucky finally snapped, spinning around to stand directly in front of Clint, crossed arms just touching Clints chest. “I love you babe, but If you say it one more time, I may kill you.”

Clint leaned in to kiss Bucky briefly on the lips, before mumbling an apology. “Sorry, but this mission is just so boring.” 

Bucky nodded in agreement. “Just two and a half more days, and then we’ll be on our way to the beach, and fruity drinks with little umbrellas. Now let's just get this over with.” 

They continued on in silence, almost relieved when a small stream started running alongside the trail for a few miles. It wasn’t much, but the slight change in scenery helped a little. 

The trip continued for the next three hours at the same annoying pace, as Bucky glared (Clint would say pouted) his way to the cabin, while Clint rambled on with inane comments as he swatted at mosquitos, until they finally arrived at the cabin. Or where their GPS trackers said the cabin should be at least. 

Their map had taken them off of the Appalachian Trail and across a stream. They then went up a steep incline to a plateau at the edge of a cliff. It seemed to be a good area to build a cabin, but there was no sign of humans in the area. 

“Let’s take a break and eat,” Clint suggested, pulling off his pack and dropping it to the ground. He was hungry, so knew Bucky probably was too. They still had a couple hours of daylight left, and he figured it was as good a time as any for a break. 

Bucky ignored the suggestion initially, and began pacing around Clint with a fist clenched, complaining the whole time.  
“Stupid bullshit mission!” he growled. “It will be easy! Just take a walk through the woods to get this damn object! Basic retrieval mission my ass!” 

“Babe…” Clint said calmly. “Just sit down a minute and chill. We’ll figure it out.” 

Bucky paused his pacing and sat down next to Clint with a huff. 

“Just sit down and chill,” he mocked. “We’ll figure it out, you say.” Bucky was clenching and unclenching his metal fist as he spoke. 

Clint ignored Bucky’s grumbling and began digging though his pack to pull out the tiny butane stove and pot, water bottle, and dehydrated meals that would be their dinner. Because of their rushed packing job, this meant Clint had pulled nearly everything out of his pack and was surrounded by small piles of clothes and gear. 

By the time he had the stove hooked up and turned on to start boiling water, Bucky had dropped his pack to the ground as well, and laid a few feet away from Clint, sprawled on his back. He wouldn’t admit it out loud, but the clearing was a bit peaceful. There were various birds singing and chirping as they flew between the trees, and the sun had lowered enough behind the tree line to give it a soft glow. 

“Hey Clint!” Bucky called out suddenly, making Clint jump and nearly knock over the pot of water. “Look up there.” 

“Just tell me what it is, I’m kinda busy,” Clint grumbled, looking back and forth between the packets of what were supposedly beef stew, and the pot of water that was not boiling fast enough. 

“I don't know, but I think I see something up on the cliff,” Bucky replied. 

Clint turned and looked up for a moment. “Those are trees.”

“Yeah, I know, but I think I see something else behind the trees,” Bucky said. 

“I just see trees,” Clint said looking back to the pot that still wasn’t boiling. 

“‘Cause you’re at the wrong angle,” Bucky grumbled. “Come over next to me and look.” 

Clint sighed, and scooted across the grass so he was laying shoulder to shoulder with Bucky.

“Right there, see that big square shape in the shadows?” Bucky said as he pointed up. 

“I think so? It doesn't really look like a tree,” Clint agreed. “Food first, or at least something that's pretending to be food, and then we will go check it out.”

The dehydrated meals definitely didn’t taste like beef stew, but it was warm and their stomachs stopped complaining. Clint claimed it was the worst thing he had ever eaten, while Bucky just shook his head and argued that it could be much worse. Clint took his word for it. 

They ate and repacked Clints bag quickly and began searching the area around the base of the cliff, assuming there would be a path or ladder or something to get to the top. 

“Over here!” Bucky called out from behind a group of large bushes. 

Clint rushed over, nearly tripping on a bundle of roots, and found Bucky looking very proud of himself at the base of a stone staircase. 

“Careful, babe,” Clint said as he approached. “Someone might think you are enjoying this if you keep smiling like that.” 

“Oh, don’t worry, I'm still hating everything about this mission, but I don’t like the look of those clouds, and having a roof to sleep under seems like a fantastic idea,” Bucky replied. 

Clint raised an eyebrow in confusion, and looked up in the direction Bucky was pointing. He didn’t like the look of the clouds either, dark and moving toward them. “Oh shit, yeah, roof is good.”

The stairs, which seemed to be carved into the face of the cliff, were steep and narrow, and they made their way up slowly, keeping a hand on the wall as they went. 

“Think falling down these stairs would qualify as natural causes?” Clint asked when they were about half way up. “Because I cannot imagine a guy in his 80’s climbing up and down these.”

“Says the guy with a one hundred year old boyfriend…” Bucky teased. 

“Well, yeah, but you and Steve are like a different breed, not the same. I'm guessing this agent didn’t spend half his life frozen.” Clint replied, hoping he wasn’t getting too close to what was sometimes a touchy subject. 

“So I’m not human now?” Bucky teased. “You’re just jealous that you won’t be as sexy and well preserved as I am if you make it to 100.”

They didn’t talk for the last few yards of the climb, both too preoccupied with not falling, and not thinking about how maybe they were a tiny bit scared of heights when it didn’t involve rafters or rooftops. Finally they reached the top and found another smaller plateau with an old wooden cabin built against the cliff wall. 

“Oh thank God,” Clint said with a sigh as he approached the cabin. “I was not looking forward to sleeping outside tonight.” 

“You get used to it,” Bucky said with a shrug. “Steve and I had to do it a few times back in Austria, during the winter.” 

Clint shook his head, cringing at the thought as he made his way to the door. After a few sharp tugs, the old wooden door finally swung open on rusted hinges and they stepped inside. The air in the cabin was stale with a musty smell, but aside from some dust and cobwebs it seemed to have been well kept. 

The furnishings were basic, with just a bed, table, chair and a wood stove. Pots and pans hung in one corner, and two of the four walls were filled with books and piles of papers, stacked onto built in shelves. Finding the map suddenly felt like a more challenging task than they had originally anticipated. 

Outside the sky was quickly darkening, despite there being nearly two hours till the sun was due to set, as heavy storm clouds drew closer. Neither mentioned it out loud, but both Clint and Bucky were both hoping they would not spend the following day walking in the rain. 

They were quick to unpack the essentials from their bags and prepare to spend the night in the cabin, setting a lantern on the table and zipping their sleeping bags together and laying them out on the bed. 

In the back corner, a small fairy sat watching from a ceiling beam surrounded by a soft green glow. He had suspected that the old mans people would be along at some point after his death, and had been watching the cabin for several weeks now. The fairy giggled to himself as Clint and Bucky began looking through piles of papers and flipping through books, searching in all the wrong places for the map. “Your not going to find it there,” he muttered to himself as he watched. 

Bucky was flipping through a book on foraging for food when a spoon fell from a hook and clattered loudly onto the woodstove, causing him to jump. 

“What was that?” Clint asked, looking up from the stack of drawings he was looking through. 

“Spoon fell,” Bucky said calmly. “Must be a draft or something.”  
He knew that there was no draft strong enough to knock a spoon from a hook, but he didn’t want to think about any other explanations. 

“Idiots,” the fairy mumbled when neither of them moved toward the stove to investigate. Clearly dropping spoons wouldn't be enough to get Clint and Bucky to find the trap door, so the fairy decided to move on to more drastic measures, making himself more visible and flying around the cabin leaving a glowing green trail as he circled their heads, repeatedly darting toward the wood stove. 

“You see something glowing in here?” Bucky asked, briefly glancing toward the wood stove. 

“Yeah, looks like a firefly,” Clint said casually. “I remember seeing them all over the place in the summer when I was a kid. Must have gotten trapped in here somehow.”

“Makes sense,” Bucky said with a shrug as he moved back to a bookshelf to search another section. “I’ve never actually seen one in person but I’ve always thought they sounded cool.” 

The fairy moved back to his spot on the rafters, crossing his arms with a huff as he worked on a new plan. He could make himself larger and talk to them, but exposing himself like that felt too risky. Staying tiny around humans was safer most of the time. He had also observed that the men seemed to be trained soldiers, and one had a metal arm, and he really didn't want to get onto a physical fight with them if they perceived him as a threat. 

“This is hopeless,” Clint grumbled as he returned another stack of drawings to a shelf. “Are we sure the map is even in here?” 

“S.H.I.E.L.D. seemed pretty confident that it was,” Bucky replied sounding defeated.

“Maybe is not on the shelves,” Clint suggested. “Maybe we should be looking for a hidden compartment, or a loose floorboard or something.” 

At the mention of a floorboard, the fairy took flight again, buzzing past Clint’s face, nearly clipping his nose, and began to fly in tight circles in front of the woodstove. Clint flinched slightly, but paid no attention other than to mumble about the bug nearly crashing into his face. 

“Idiots!” the fairy hissed as he sat on the floor. He had allowed himself to grow the slightest bit as he sat on the loose floorboard with the map underneath, making less of an attempt to stay hidden. 

Feeling braver, and realizing that subtle wasn’t going to work with these two, the fairy took flight again, circling Bucky’s head a few times before landing on his shoulder. He grabbed a handful of Bucky’s hair and gave it a sharp tug, and then quickly took flight again before the metal hand could swat him away. 

“Ouch!” Bucky cried out, eyes wide as he looked around the cabin. 

“What happened, Babe?” Clint asked, looking up from where he was searching the walls and floor for some kind of secret door, in the wrong corner of the cabin. 

“I dunno, but it felt like something was pulling my hair for a second,” Bucky said, looking confused. 

The fairy glowed brighter, and took flight yet again, circling both their heads before darting back toward the floor in front of the woodstove. 

“I realize this sounds crazy, but I feel like that lightning bug is trying to get our attention,” Bucky said, walking toward the stove. 

“Fucking finally,” the fairy muttered, glowing as bright as he could while he sat on top of the loose floor board. 

If asked, Bucky would say that he didn’t believe in magic, and would insist that there was a logical explanation for anything strange that happened. He had gotten a good enough look at the ‘lightning bug’ to notice that it looked more like a tiny humanoid than any insect he had seen, but still chose to believe he hadn’t seen the bug right rather than believe it may have been a fairy. He realized however that he had nothing to lose by following the glowing light and went over to the stove. 

Bucky realized when he crouched down that there was a hole in the board where a knot had once been, and reached down to pry it up. He was more surprised than he should have been when the board came up easily and revealed a metal box in the dirt below. 

“I found something!” he called to Clint as he lifted out the box and set it on the table. 

Clint was quick to crawl out from under the bed where he had been searching for secret compartments and come to the table. 

“Is that the map?” Clint asked hopefully. 

“It better be, because I am so over this shit and really don't want to search this place anymore,” Bucky replied as he worked the rusted latch open. 

“I’m over this shit too, you idiots,” the fairy mumbled from back on his perch in the rafters. 

Soon, they managed to open the box and found a rolled up map and a polished triangular stone inside. Carefully, Bucky unrolled the map onto the small table, moving the lantern closer so they could read it. The map showed basic sketches of the cabin, marked with the GPS coordinates they had used to find it, as well as what appeared to be a cave to the north east with another set of coordinates. The map also marked the location of the Appalachian trail they had originally followed to the west, and a river and waterfall to the east. 

“Alright, we found the map,” Clint said with a yawn. “Can we go to sleep now and just be done with this bullshit day already?”

“Sounds good to me,” Bucky replied as he rolled the map back up and put it back into the box, leaving it on the table to examine more closely in the morning. They fell asleep easily to the sound of rain and thunder.

Bucky woke early the following morning to the sun nearly blinding him as it shone through the windows. As usual, Clint was wrapped around him, clinging to Bucky’s side like a monkey with his face smushed into Bucky’s shoulder. While Bucky would normally stay in bed for a while and enjoy a quiet morning whenever possible, the sun was heating the cabin to un bearable temperatures, the sleeping bag was twisted and restricting and Bucky wanted nothing more than to get out of bed. 

The fairy was once again perched on a ceiling beam, amused as he watched Bucky try to wake Clint. Bucky’s attempts by poking him and calling his name were unsuccessful, and resulted in Clint clinging tighter. Bucky then attempted to reach a zipper on the sleeping bags, hoping to be able to unzip and squirm out from Clints hold, but the zipper was unreachable. Finally, in an act of frustration, Bucky rolled over hard dragging Clint with him and sent them both toppling off the bed onto the floor. 

“About time you woke up,” Bucky said as Clint glanced around, wide eyed and disoriented. 

“What the hell, Buck!” Clint mumbled as they struggled to untangle themselves from the bags and each other, “Could have been a little nicer about it.” 

“Oh, I tried,” Bucky replied, rolling his eyes as he stood up. “Now let’s get going and find this stupid cave.” 

Less than an hour later, they had choked down disgusting instant coffee and protein bars, worked out the route to the cave, which was only about two miles away, and packed their bags. The fairy in the rafters had laughed out loud at Clints rant about how instant coffee was an abomination that didn't deserve the name coffee, and was surprised they still hadn’t noticed him with the noise he had made. He sighed as he slipped out the door behind them, already exhausted at the prospect of dealing with these idiots for another day. 

The trip to the cave was slow going, as there was no trail this time so they had to keep pausing to check compass directions against the map as they slowly made their way through the thick forest. Clint had resumed his complaining about the mosquitos as he swatted the air and slapped both himself and Bucky as they went. Bucky was relieved that there were no markers on the trees this time for Clint to call out. 

After about half a mile, they reached a small clearing in the woods where soft grass took the place of trees and brush, and were relieved to have a brief moment of relief from hacking through the brush. They paused to drink water and re-apply bug spray, and the Fairy took advantage of the opportunity to reveal himself. He glowed green as brightly as he could again, flew around Clint’s head and then darted into the woods at the edge of the clearing. 

“Did you just see that?” Clint asked, spinning as he spoke. 

“Uh, no?” Bucky asked, confused about what he was supposed to have seen. 

“That green glow, like what we saw last night in the cabin,” Clint explained, “It just buzzed past my face and then went into the woods over there!” 

Before Bucky could respond, Clint had dropped his pack and jogged to the edge of the clearing, disappearing into the trees. 

“What the hell Clint!” Bucky called to him. “Get back here so we can keep going to find the cave!”

Clint did not return right away, which did not surprise Bucky at all. He dropped to the ground with a sigh, deciding to sit and take a break while he waited for his boyfriend to indulge his curiosity and return.

In the woods, the fairy had resized himself to be roughly the same as a human, and was sitting cross-legged on a large rock. Surrounding him was a circle of bright colored flowers that let off a glowing mist. It was the most obvious fairy circle he had ever created, one that would make even the most gullible humans hesitate, and he was wondering if he had gone overboard with the glowing. Clint however, stepped right in, oblivious and with no hesitation. 

“Ahh, Mr. Barton,” The fairy greeted, “I wondered how long it would take for you to notice me.”

Clint froze, staring at the fairy with his mouth hanging open. “Huh… how do you know my name?” 

“I heard Mr. Bucky Barnes say it many times in the cabin last night, I should have expected him to be the smarter one, staying away from my circle here,” the fairy answered. 

“Your circle?” Clint questioned, looking around and noticing the glowing flowers. “Oh… oh shit.” 

“Oh shit is right, Mr. Barton,” The fairy said with a laugh. “You should really pay more attention to your surroundings.” 

“Wait, you were the lightning bug in the cabin last night? Were you helping us?” Clint asked. 

“Yes, I was the _lightning bug_,” The fairy said with a sigh, holding his hands up to make air quotes as he spoke. “Nearly had to fully expose myself before Mr. Barnes found the loose floorboard. It's amazing how oblivious humans can be, seeing what they want to see instead of the truth.” __

_ _“Why were you helping?” Clint asked, ignoring the insult to human kind._ _

_ _“I will explain in a moment, but there’s something I need to do first,” the fairy replied. _ _

_ _He stood from the boulder and moved to stand directly in front of Clint. Most people would attempt to escape at this point, but the idea never crossed Clints mind. The fairy reached out to press his palm to Clint’s forehead, closing his eyes and muttering something in another language. Clint felt a strange feeling wash over him, a tingling through his legs followed by an awareness that something suddenly felt off, although he couldn’t pinpoint what exactly. _ _

_ _“Alright, that’s done,” the fairy said as he removed his hand and stepped back. _ _

_ _“What’s done?” Clint questioned as he glanced around, eyes widening as he realized. “You turned me into a horse!” He exclaimed, stepping back and nearly stumbling over his newly formed hind legs. _ _

_ _“No, I turned you into a Centaur, there’s a difference,” the fairly replied sounding exhausted. “Now let’s go find Mr. Barnes and I will explain everything.”_ _

_ _“What! No, no, you have to change me back! I can’t be a centaur!” He wobbled and nearly stumbled as he began trying to walk, struggling to coordinate four legs. _ _

_ _“Aww, your like a foal, trying to stand for the first time,” the fairy commented with a smirk. “Don't worry, I’ll change you back but there's something I need from you two first.” _ _

_ _Clint sighed, but didn’t comment further as he followed the fairy back to the clearing. _ _

_ _

_ _“Uh, Bucky?” Clint called out hesitantly as they approached._ _

_ _“What the fuck?!” Bucky called back once he had looked up from the grass he had been tugging at as he impatiently waited. _ _

_ _He stood quickly and moved toward the fairy, glaring and clenching his metal fist as he went. _ _

_ _“Who the hell are you and what the fuck did you do to him!” Bucky demanded, getting up close to the fairy’s face. _ _

_ _Clint sighed, realizing he should have expected Bucky to want to fight right away.  
“Easy babe,” Clint said, trying to stay calm. “He said he would change me back, but we have to help him with something first.” _ _

_ _Bucky stayed in his defensive stance for a long moment, continuing to glare before stepping back and crossing his arms. _ _

_ _“He’s right, I will change him back after you help me,” the fairy said, looking bored. It always amused him when humans went straight to wanting to fight instead of talk._ _

_ _“Ok, then once again, who the fuck are you and what do you want,” Bucky demanded. _ _

_ _“My name is Luke, and I’m a prince from the fairy realm. I’ve been helping your group keep the Wand of Watoomb hidden for many years,” the fairy explained. _ _

_ _“Wait, your name is Luke?” Clint interrupted. “That doesn’t sound like a fairy name to me.”_ _

_ _“Well, no, not exactly,” the fairy replied. “My full name is Lucacute Gigglewings, but I’m sure you can understand why I would prefer to go by just Luke.” _ _

_ _“Makes sense to me, now get on with it.” Bucky said, still glaring with his arms crossed. “What’s the wand of Watang?”_ _

_ _“The Wand of Watoomb,” Luke corrected. “A very powerful magical device that allows the user to manipulate the elements. It can open portals to other dimensions, rearrange matter and heal the user. In the wrong hands, it could lead to disaster.”_ _

_ _“Ok, so that explains what S.H.I.E.L.D. sent us to recover, but why am I a centaur?” Clint asked._ _

_ _“Because you two are not the only ones searching for the wand. There is another who desires it named Erinius, a half-human raised in the fairy realm with superhuman strength and speed. I have seen him lurking around the cabin since the old man died. _ _

_ _“He once worked on our side, helping to keep the fairy realm secret, but when he learned of the wand, a dark side emerged and he became intent on acquiring it to gain domination over the human race._ _

_ _“I have been able to prevent him from finding the map, but I have no doubt that he will try to steal the wand from you,” Luke explained. “While in centaur form, Mr. Barton, you should be able to defeat him.”_ _

_ _“I had a feeling there would be more to this mission than a simple retrieval, so uh, thanks I guess?” Clint replied. _ _

_ _“So what’s this favor you need to get him human again?” Bucky asked, still glaring with his arms crossed. _ _

_ _“There are two crystals the fairy king would like returned to the realm,” Luke said, “One you will find in the cave with the wand, which has been keeping both hidden for many years. Only he who holds the key will be able to find it. The other will be on Erinius’ person. It was once gifted to him to enhance his magical powers while in the human realm, but the fairy court has determined he is no longer worthy and wish to have it returned.”_ _

_ _“Ok, but if you know where Erinius is, why can’t you just take it back yourself?” Bucky asked._ _

_ _“The rules of the realm state that anything given freely to humans, or half humans in this case, can only be returned willingly by a human. We cannot take it ourselves,” Luke explained. _ _

_ _“Ok, so let me make sure I understand all this,” Clint said skeptically. “We need to go to the cave, find the wand and the crystal, keep Erinius from getting the wand, get the other crystal from him, return the crystals to you, and then I get to be human again?”_ _

_ _“Yes,” Luke said. _ _

_ _“So how do we find you again? Are you going to keep following us?” Bucky asked. “And more importantly, why should we believe you? How do we know this isn’t some elaborate trap?”_ _

_ _“Because fairy’s cannot lie,” Luke answered. “And I will find you again once you have recovered the items.” _ _

_ _Bucky nodded, accepting Lukes answer. He didn’t like the situation, and found it difficult to fully trust Luke, but they had no other options at this point. Like most humans, Bucky had a deep seated fear and distrust of the fairy’s, an instinct that went back centuries to a time when fairy - human interactions were more common. _ _

_ _“Ok, so I guess we will see you later then,” Clint said hesitantly. _ _

_ _Without warning, Luke disappeared with a soft pop, leaving a green haze where he had been standing. _ _

_ _

_ _“Fruity drinks with little umbrellas just keep getting more and more appealing,” Bucky mumbled as they left the clearing to continue to the cabin. _ _

_ _“Being anywhere but here keeps getting more and more appealing,” Clint replied, swishing his tail to get an insect off his back. “This tail though is very useful though. I feel a mosquito and _swat!_ tail gets it off me before I can even think about it.”_ _

_ _“Congratulations on your new magic tail then,” Bucky replied. He was walking faster now, aggressively stomping down brush and branches to clear a path, even more determined to get the mission over with as soon as possible. _ _

_ _Clint did his best to ignore Bucky’s mood as he followed through the forest, swishing his tail at every insect he saw as revenge for the mosquitos that had bit him the day before. After about 20 minutes, he had finally found his legs and no longer felt like he was going to trip over his hooves with every step. After 30 minutes, they arrived in another small clearing and Clint broke into a trot, circling the perimeter with his tail up. _ _

_ _“You serious right now?” Bucky asked, looking up from the map. _ _

_ _Clint ignored him and broke into a canter, picking up speed and kicking out as he continued to circle Bucky. He ran for a couple minutes, adding in twisting leaps and bucks as he went. He was grinning when he finally came to a stop next to Bucky. _ _

_ _“We’re expecting a fight, right?” he reminded. “And I’m going to have to fight some magical half fairy dude in this form, so I need to practice. Figure out what kinda moves I got.” _ _

_ _“Alright, good point,” Bucky agreed. “But do you have to enjoy it so much?” _ _

_ _“Yes. I do,” Clint said. “Because as fucked up as this whole situation is, and how much I would love to be back to normal and on a tropical beach already, being a centaur is kinda fun.”_ _

_ _“If you say so,” Bucky sighed. “Cave should be about 50 meters that way, so let's get this prancing pony show on the road.”_ _

_ _Once again, they reached the location where, according to GPS, the cave should be. Once again, they found nothing, just another rocky cliff face on the side of the mountain. _ _

_ _“Well this is great,” Bucky exclaimed after checking the coordinates a third time. “First there’s no cabin, and now, no cave.”_ _

_ _“Didn’t Luke say something about the cave being hidden by the crystal? Wouldn’t that mean that it really is right here but we just can’t see it?” Clint questioned. _ _

_ _“Right, and he said something about a key,” Bucky replied. “I don’t remember finding a key.”_ _

_ _He roughly handed to map to Clint and crossed his arms with a huff. “Fucking bullshit mission.”  
Clint studied the map, and checked the coordinates against his own gps device, confirming that they were in the correct location. He also noticed a triangle drawn on the map next to the marker for the cave. _ _

_ _“Did you grab that stone?” Clint asked._ _

_ _“What stone?” Bucky asked._ _

_ _“The one that was in the box with the map, the shiny triangular one. I bet that’s the key, somehow.” Clint explained. _ _

_ _Bucky frowned. He did remember the stone Clint was talking about, but not what he did with it. _ _

_ _“Maybe?” Bucky answered, patting down his many pockets and eventually producing the stone from a pouch on his belt. _ _

_ _“I guess I did,” Bucky said, holding it up. “So what now then?”_ _

_ _“I don’t know, the map doesn’t seem to have any magic spells or anything on it. Maybe there's a spot on the cliff wall it fits into,” Clint guessed. _ _

_ _Bucky looked up at the wall again with a sigh, not wanting to think about how long it could take to find the right section of the jagged rock. Once again motivated to figure it out and get it over with, he walked toward the wall. Once he got close, the stone began to feel warm in his hand and he suddenly dropped it. _ _

_ _“I don't think that is going to help,” Clint said, looking between Bucky and the stone on the ground. _ _

_ _“I didn’t drop it on purpose,” Bucky replied defensively. “It got warm when I approached and then it was like it jerked out of my hand, like something was pulling it.” _ _

_ _He picked the stone up again and held it flat in his palm, once again feeling the warmth. Almost immediately the stone spun in his hand, stopping so that the sharper angle was pointing to their right, further along the wall. Bucky shrugged and began walking along the base of the cliff pausing again when the stone had rotated again and was pointing directly at the wall. _ _

_ _The stone grew warmer and began to vibrate as they examined the wall in front of them, and suddenly rose up from Bucky’s hand and fit itself into a gap. Almost immediately, an opening appeared in front of them revealing the cave. _ _

_ _“I guess that’s how it works,” Clint said as he peered into the cave with his flashlight. The opening was narrow, but appeared to open up about a meter in. _ _

_ _“I don’t know if I can fit in there like this,” Clint said, gesturing to the horse body that had replaced his legs. _ _

_ _“I’ll go in for the wand and crystal, you stay out here and watch for Erinius,” Bucky said quickly as he took off his pack and pulled out another flash light. “I think im going to have to squeeze through sideways.” _ _

_ _“Ok, just give me a minute to get my bow and arrow ready, just in case,” Clint replied. “You brought a gun, right?”_ _

_ _“Of course I brought a gun,” Bucky scoffed. “Who do you think I am?”_ _

_ _“Of course, I don’t know why I even asked,” Clint replied. “Set it to stun.” _ _

_ _Bucky shook his head and almost smiled. “This isn’t Star Trek you know, I don’t have a phaser that just switches modes,” he said as he pulled the gun from his holster and confirmed that it was loaded with tranquilizer darts. _ _

_ _A few moments later, they had stashed their packs behind a bush, and Clint was in position behind a couple large trees where he could see the cave entrance and most of the surrounding area. He would much rather be at the top of the tree, but there was no way he could climb it with hooves, so he would have to make do from the ground. He watched as Bucky squeezed through the entrance and disappeared into the cave. _ _

_ _

_ _Clint watched the cave entrance until all he saw was a distant glow from Bucky’s flashlight, and then did is best to get as low as he could, which wasn’t easy with the new size of his body. He was not having any fun being a centaur at that moment, with nothing to do but watch for a fairy human hybrid to maybe come out of the woods. In addition to a tiny umbrella, he now desired a gaudy plastic stir stick in his drink, preferably with a bird on the end._ _

_ _Meanwhile in the cave, Bucky was also having a terrible time. The inside of the cave was cramped with a low ceiling and the walls were jagged with sharp outcroppings turning it into a maze. This meant that his flashlight was unable to fill the whole area at once, and in order to search for the wand, Bucky had to duck and weave his way through, shining his flashlight in every corner. He hoped that the wand would just be obviously lying on the ground somewhere so he wouldn't have to search underneath the smaller rocks that littered the floor as well. Bucky was also daydreaming about tropical drinks, but instead of a stir stick, he wanted his cup to be a coconut. _ _

_ _Finally, in what appeared to be the back wall of the cave, Bucky found what looked like an altar. A flat stone was balanced across two larger stones to make a platform, holding a jagged crystal in the center. It was about the size of an apple, with a large squared off column that came up from the center, and several smaller pieces sticking out to the sides around the base. When Bucky shone his flashlight on the walls, the crystal acted as a prism projecting rainbows onto the cave walls. _ _

_ _“Clint is going to make so many dick jokes when he sees this,” Bucky laughed to himself as he tucked the crystal into one of his pockets. _ _

_ _Above the altar where the crystal sat, on a natural shelf protruding from the cage wall, sat the wand. It was larger than Bucky expected, at about 2 feet long, with orbs on each end of a braided leather rod. Each tennis ball sized orb was carved with a face that made Bucky think of a demon, or even the devil himself, and two spiky horns on each face. He smiled at the weight and the spikes as he picked it up, noting that it could be effective as a blunt force weapon. _ _

_ _Quickly, he made his way back out of the cave to meet up with Clint, wondering if Erinius would show himself has Luke had predicted._ _

_ _

_ _Back in the clearing, from his hiding spot behind the trees, Clint spotted movement near the cliff wall. A man who he suspected was Erinius was slowly moving along the treeline toward the cave opening. In a few quick movements, he scaled the cliff wall and perched on a ledge above the cave. Clint assumed that Erinius did not know where he was, and wanted to keep it that way as long as possible, so very carefully so as to not make a sound removed his bow from the strap on his pack, and pulled an arrow from his quiver. _ _

_ _The second he saw Bucky’s light shining in the caves narrow entrance again, he knocked his arrow and took aim, still keeping himself hidden. As Clint predicted, Erinius dropped to the ground the moment Bucky emerged, quickly moving to tackle him to the ground and take the wand. _ _

_ _Bucky was also prepared for an ambush the moment he emerged, and swung the wand at Erinius, making solid contact with the side of his head. Erinius was knocked out, and Clint quickly put an arrow through his tunic, pinning him to the ground. They had the advantage at the start, but neither expected Erinius to stay down long. _ _

_ _Moments later, Erinius’ eyes popped open, glowing and angry as he glared at them and pulled the arrow from the ground. _ _

_ _“I’m not that easy to take out,” Erinius growled as he stood and faced off with Bucky again. “Let’s just make this easier for everyone and give me the wand.” _ _

_ _“I don’t think so,” Clint announced, stepping out from behind the trees with another arrow lined up. “How about you hand over your crystal and I won’t aim for your head this time.”_ _

_ _“Threats from a couple of mortals,” Erinius replied, rolling his eyes. “Don’t make me laugh.” _ _

_ _“A couple of Avengers,” Bucky corrected. “You know, Earth’s mightiest Heros and all that. I don’t think you should be laughing.” _ _

_ _Erinius didn’t speak again, but grinned at Bucky with his eyes continuing to glow yellow. Making his move suddenly, he darted forward and grabbed the wand from Bucky’s flesh hand. Bucky reacted just as quickly, and pulled him into a headlock with his metal arm. Not expecting Bucky’s superhuman strength, Erinius found himself trapped. His snake like eyes grew wide as Bucky tightened his arms around his neck, and Clint moved in closer with an arrow aimed at his face. _ _

_ _“Drop the wand and we won’t kill you,” Bucky growled. _ _

_ _Erinius fought to free himself from the hold. Bucky responded by tightening the grip around his neck, and Clint pulled back the string on his arrow. Erinius dropped the wand. _ _

_ _Bucky maintained his hold around Erinius’ neck until Clint had kicked the wand out of reach behind them, keeping his aim the whole time. _ _

_ _“Run,” Bucky said as he released his grip, and Erinius did, making no attempt to grab the wand as he took of toward the woods. He had given up on getting the wand from Clint and Bucky in that moment, realizing that the two men had more training than he anticipated, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t working on another plan to get it at a later date. Since it was no longer hidden in the cave, and would be under the protection of humans rather than the Fairy Prince, he believed it would be easier to steal back at a later date. _ _

_ _“Get him,” Bucky said with a nod, and Clint was quick to chase after, easily keeping up with the half-fairy thanks to his Centaur form. About 100 meters into the woods, Erinius seemed to take flight as he leapt across a wide and fast-flowing section of the river. Clint hesitated, questioning momentarily if he would be able to clear the river as well. _ _

_ _“Aww, is ponyboy afraid of the water?” Erinius mocked. “Not so tough anymore are you.” _ _

_ _With fresh determination to prove him wrong, Clint circled around at the river bank and picked up a canter, gaining momentum to make the leap. He just made it, landing with a hind hoof in the water and nearly stumbling on a slippery rock. He regained his footing and quickly pulled another arrow from his quiver, taking aim as he resumed the chase. _ _

_ _Clint picked up speed, managing to circle around in front Erinius while striking out with his hind legs, and managed to drive him back to the river. Erinius paused at the edge, looking like he was about to leap back when he spotted Bucky at the other side, aiming his rifle. Clint reared up, striking out with his front hooves this time and making contact with Erinius’ chest, knocking him to the ground. He came down with a hoof resting on his chest, looking down at the half fairy with his arrow once again aimed as his face. _ _

_ _“I gave up the wand,” Erinius protested. “What more do you want from me?” _ _

_ _“The crystal that was gifted to you by the Fairy King,” Clint replied. “He wants it back, but I think you already knew that.” _ _

_ _“Should have known Luke would find a way around the rules,” Erinius moaned. _ _

_ _“Yeah, he did,” Clint confirmed. “And I really want my human body back, so give it up, or he will shoot you.” He glanced over his shoulder toward Bucky, who was aiming his gun from the other side of the river._ _

_ _“I’m not just going to hand it over,” Erinius laughed. _ _

_ _“Yeah, we didn’t think you would,” Clint said. “Bucky, you’re up.” _ _

_ _“Please don’t kill me!” Erinius cried out, suddenly sounding desperate. _ _

_ _“Just a nice long nap,” Bucky called out, and then shot him with three very strong tranquilizer darts. _ _

_ _Within seconds he was limp and drooling on the ground. Clint dropped to the ground, cursing how much harder his centaur body would make it to search Erinius’ body, and made no attempt to be gentle as he looked for the crystal. He found it easily, a small blue stone on a chain around his neck, and easily un clasped it. _ _

_ _Back on the other side of the river, Clint and Bucky carefully packed the crystals and the wand into their packs, and wondered out loud how long the tranquilizer would last. On a normal human, they would have ten hours at least till they woke, but didn’t know how his half fairy genetics would affect it. _ _

_ _“We will take care of him from here,” a voice called from across the river. _ _

_ _Clint and Bucky looked over, already back in a defensive mindset. Bucky raised his gun again and Clint reached for another arrow. Three figures in long robes stood around Erinius with swords drawn. _ _

_ _“And who the hell are you?” Bucky called back. _ _

_ _“Royal soldiers from the Fairy Realm. We are the princes personal guards,” The Fairy replied. _ _

_ _“And you couldn’t have shown up earlier?” Bucky asked. _ _

_ _“We have been watching, but the rules state that we could not interfere as long as he possessed the Crystal,” the guard said. _ _

_ _“Fairy rules,” Clint mumbled, shaking his head. “So what do we do now?” He called out. _ _

_ _“Find Luke back at the cabin, we will take Erinius back to our realm and see that he is dealt with accordingly,” The guard answered, and then turned away from them back to his men._ _

_ _“Well, back to the cabin I guess,” Clint shrugged. _ _

_ _Bucky nodded in agreement as they picked up their gear and began the return trip. _ _

_ _

_ _The return trip was easier as they were able to follow their tracks through the brush from that morning, with the grass and branches still squashed down. _ _

_ _“Luke better be telling the truth about changing me back,” Clint groaned. “This whole being a centaur thing is getting old.”_ _

_ _“Well, he did say that Fairies can’t lie, and we got both crystals for him,” Bucky replied. “So unless the not being able to lie thing was a lie, you should be good.”_ _

_ _“Let’s hope so,” Clint said, aggressively swishing his tail at the mosquitos. The tail and ease of getting the bugs off was one thing he might miss, a little bit. _ _

_ _As promised, Luke was sitting outside the cabin when they arrived. _ _

_ _“Ahh, you’re back,” Luke greeted. “Successful mission I assume?”_ _

_ _“Yeah, but I have a feeling you already knew that,” Bucky said, pulling off his pack. “Erinious wasn’t as tough as he thought.”_ _

_ _“Erinious is young and cocky, and has never encountered humans with your level of training and expertise,” Luke said with a smile. “Being defeated as he was is good for his ego. Thank you for your assistance.” _ _

_ _“Not like you gave us much choice,” Clint groaned. “So you’re going to change me back now, right?”_ _

_ _“Yes, that was the deal,” Luke said. “Set the crystals on that rock, and I will change him back before I take them back.”_ _

_ _Bucky gave him a skeptical look for a moment, and then removed the crystals from his pack and set them on the rock. He didn’t like the arrangement, but so far Luke had been true to his word and he had no real reason not to trust him in this._ _

_ _Luke looked at the crystals with an approving nod and then stepped in front of Clint, once again pressing his palm to his forehead. He closed his eyes and spoke some words in another language. Clint felt a similar tingling sensation throughout his body as before, but this time felt as if his legs had turned to jelly and found himself on the ground. _ _

_ _“Awww, legs!” he exclaimed. “You’re back!” _ _

_ _Luke grinned at Clint’s reaction for a moment and then moved to pick up the crystals. _ _

_ _“Thank you for your assistance in capturing Erinius,” Luke said. “Your cooperation will not be forgotten, and the fairy realm will remember you as an ally. If ever you are in a situation were we can help you may speak out and ask.” _ _

_ _“Uh, thanks, I guess,” Clint replied as he got back to his feet, still feeling a bit shaky. _ _

_ _“Good luck with your journey home,” Luke said and began to leave. _ _

_ _“Wait!” Bucky called out. “This wand. You said it can work as a teleportation device, right? So can it get us home like, right now?”_ _

_ _“In theory, yes,” Luke answered with a sigh. “However using the wand properly requires deep meditation and practice, and using it to travel such a distance could be dangerous for those without experience with magic.”_ _

_ _“Dangerous how?” Clint asked. _ _

_ _“In order to travel, you must clear your mind and focus only on where you wish to land,” Luke explained. “Any stray thoughts could send you off course, or worse, leave you trapped in the void. I would not recommend that you attempt to use the wand.”_ _

_ _With no further comment, Luke once again disappeared leaving a green glow where he once stood. _ _

_ _

_ _Bucky stood holding the wand, examining it more closely than he had done in the cave. The carving on the orbs was very detailed, with small stones set into them, and he got the feeling that the eyes were staring him down. _ _

_ _“Buck, you heard Luke,” Clint warned. “We can’t try to use the wand.”_ _

_ _“Yeah, I know, but it's so tempting,” Bucky replied with a sigh. “This thing could get us home instantly.” _ _

_ _“Or it could leave us trapped in the void, or spit us out on the other side of the world,” Clint said. “I’m tempted too, but it feels too risky.” _ _

_ _Bucky nodded in agreement and put the wand back into his pack. _ _

_ _“So what do we do now?” Bucky asked, glancing around at the cabin and ledge. _ _

_ _“Well, it’s about time for lunch, so I guess we eat another quality dehydrated meals and relax for a while? Watch the sunset later? Use that bed for some alone time?” Clint suggested. _ _

_ _Bucky hesitated a moment, and nodded. _ _

_ _“It’s not fruity drinks with umbrellas on the beach, but I guess that’s not a terrible plan,” Bucky agreed. _ _

_ _

_ _Steve and Bucky woke early the following morning from a restless sleep, once again tangled in the sleeping bags and overheating with the morning sun through the windows. While it was far from the worst bed either of them had ever slept on it wasnt nearly as comfortable as the one in their room at home. They were both too excited for the following day’s hike home, and meeting up with the quinjet, and then finally going on a real vacation to get much sleep. The sounds of the woods were all wrong too, too quiet compared to the Brooklyn apartments they had lived in, where the sounds of cars and sirens and people yelling never really stopped. The sounds of owls and coyotes hooting and howling just wasn’t the same. _ _

_ _“We’re finally going home babe!” Clint exclaimed sleepily as he struggled to untangle his legs from Bucky’s and climb out of the sleeping bag. _ _

_ _“Yeah, whoever is picking us up better not be late,” Bucky grumbled, glaring at Clint. “Stop moving so I can unzip the bag!”_ _

_ _“Fine,” Clint sighed, pausing his struggling. _ _

_ _“You really have no chill, do you,” Bucky said as he finally managed to find the zipper and open the sleeping bags. _ _

_ _“Never have,” Clint said with a smirk, climbing over Bucky as he spoke. _ _

_ _Clint, predictably, went straight for the butane burner to start making coffee, while wasted no time rolling up and packing away the sleeping bags. Before long, they were fully dressed with bags packed and ready at the door, choking down terrible instant coffee and chalky protein bars. _ _

_ _“Aww, coffee, why are you so disgusting!” Clint moaned, scrunching is nose up as he psyched himself up for another sip. It was still caffeine, and Clint needed it if he was going to complete the 15 mile hike home. It was also helpful to wash down the protein bars. _ _

_ _“Did you really just call coffee disgusting? Are you sure Luke really turned you back to normal?” Bucky asked. He had been eating his bar and calmly sipping his coffee like it was good, like it tasted anything like real food. _ _

_ _“Yeah, I did,” Clint replied. “We’ve gone over this before. Instant coffee is a horrible imitation of coffee, barely deserving of the name. This is an insult to coffee bean growers all over the world.”_ _

_ _Bucky shook his head with a laugh. “Whatever man, coffee’s coffee.”_ _

_ _Clint groaned, both at Bucky and the insult in his mug before choking down another sip.  
“Ugh. And to answer your other question, I think you would have noticed last night if Luke hadn’t changed me back right, with all the investigating your mouth did last night,” he teased. _ _

_ _Bucky grinned again in response, and then finished the rest of his coffee in a gulp. “And I was not disappointed with my findings. Drink up so we can get the fuck out of here.” _ _

_ _

_ _The hike back to the road was just as long and boring as it had been the first time, just in reverse. The river was to their right this time, and it was a fox that ran across the path instead of a deer. The up-hill to down-hill ratio now favored down, so they made slightly better time, and Clint whispered about white markers instead of shouting. The number of times Clint insisted on stopping to reapply bug spray, and slapped himself and Bucky stayed the same, as did the number of welts on his skin from bites. _ _

_ _Arriving to the road and seeing no sign of the jet didn’t surprise them after the luck they had finding the cabin and cave, but this time all they could do was wait and hope Steve had actually been tracking them to estimate there arrival at the pick up point. They found a shady spot at the side of the road and sat on the ground leaning against their packs to wait. Before long, Clint had moved closer and leaned in to Bucky to rest his head on Bucky’s shoulder. Bucky put an arm around Clint’s shoulders and slouched down a bit into a more relaxed position. If they had to be stuck there waiting, they might as well be comfortable. _ _

_ _“Daiquiris or Margaritas,” Clint asked, “Which is better?” _ _

_ _“Uhh, I don't know,” Bucky replied. “Both have alcohol, right?”_ _

_ _“Yeah. And both can be served in a coconut, and or with a little umbrella.”_ _

_ _“Then both, Yes.” Bucky said. He leaned down to kiss the top of Clints head, and nearly regretted it when his lips ended up tasting like bug spray. Stupid fucking mosquitos._ _

_ _“As soon as we get back home, we are asking Jarvis to book us a beach hut and a flight, anywhere with white beaches and palm trees, as soon as possible,” Clint said, words slightly slurred from exhaustion. Bucky assumed he would be asleep before the jet was fully airborne._ _

_ _Finally, they spotted the familiar outline of the jet in the sky and heard the buzz of the engines, and were quickly on their feet moving toward the road. Steve opened the door before he even landed, feet away from where Bucky and Clint were ready to jump in. _ _

_ _“Ahh, Steve, thank fucking god,” Bucky sighed as he collapsed into the front seat next to Steve. As always, Clint went for one of the benches in the back, and settled in for a nap. _ _

_ _“Rough mission?” Steve asked as he gained elevation, quickly disappearing into the clouds. _ _

_ _“Eh, more like fucking bullshit mission,” Bucky groaned. “Fairies are assholes. And Magic sucks.” _ _

_ _“Im guessing you dont mean fairies in the gay way,” Steve said, looking confused._ _

_ _“No, Steve, I mean real Fairies. From the Magical realm,” Bucky clarified. “That shits for real, pal.” _ _

_ _Steve shook his head, wanting to believe it was all a joke, but then again Thor and Asgard were real, and he was real, and Aliens coming through wormholes had been real, so this probably was too. _ _

_ _“Great, more creatures and realms to watch out for,” Steve said with a sigh. When was he getting a vacation?_ _

_ _“Eh, I wouldn't worry too much about them,” Bucky assured him. “I would recommend avoiding them when possible, but I don’t think they are a threat.” _ _

_ _

_ _Three hours later, Clint and Bucky were home at the Avengers facility, Showered, and sitting at the conference table with the rest of the team. _ _

_ _“Hold up,” Sam called out, raising a hand in the air and interrupting Clint. “You’re really trying to tell us that you met a fairy, who turned you into a centaur, so you could steal a crystal for him from a half-human, half-fairy dude?”_ _

_ _“Yeah, that's what happened. He was a centaur for a few hours,” Bucky replied in a bored tone. “And Luke helped us find the map before that, so I guess it made us even.” _ _

_ _“Luke?” Sam questioned. _ _

_ _“Yeah, well technically his name is Lucacute Gigglewings, but he prefers to go by just Luke. I didn’t think it sounded like a fairy name either,” Clint said. “We thought he was a lightning bug and first ‘cause he was tiny and glowing green, but then he pulled Bucky’s hair and showed us where the loose floorboard was. There was a box under it with the map.” _ _

_ _Sam stared at Clint and Bucky incredulously, eyes darting between them.  
“Cap, you don’t actually believe them, do you?” he asked, looking toward Steve. _ _

_ _“I don't know what to think Sam,” Steve said. “But I’ve met Thor and fought aliens that came through a wormhole, so yeah, I’m leaning toward believing.” _ _

_ _“Can we please move on from the magical creatures, and get to the point?” Fury spoke up, abruptly ending the whispers about if fairies were real or not. “Did you retrieve the artifact?”_ _

_ _“Yeah, of course we did,” Bucky replied, sounding offended. He grabbed the wand from his lap and set it down on the table with a thud. “The wand of Watoomb. Can we go on our vacation now?”_ _

_ _“Ahh, so it was the wand,” Fury said, picking it up and examining it. “That was one of my guesses.”_ _

_ _“So you didn't even know what the object was?” Clint asked. _ _

_ _“No, only the agent who guarded it knew what it was,” Fury explained. “A few of us knew he was protecting a valuable object, but the less that was known about the details, the safer it was.” _ _

_ _“So what are you going to do with it now?” Bucky asked. _ _

_ _“Right now, Its going in a safe. I’m hoping Doctor Strange will be willing to store it long term in the Sanctum Sanctorum though. It’s the safest place for an object with this much magical power.” _ _

_ _“Alright,” Bucky shrugged. “So are we free to go on vacation now?”_ _

_ _“Fine, go,” Fury said with a sigh, “Just keep your phones on, and don’t be gone too long.” _ _

_ _“I’ve made reservations for you on St. Lucia for the week,” Jarvis interrupted over the intercom. “A car will be picking you up for the airport at 6:30 am tomorrow, so I would suggest packing before engaging in personal activities this evening.” _ _

_ _“In a little hut on the beach?” Clint asked hopefully._ _

_ _“Yes, Mr. Barton. Your hut will be at the far end of the resorts beach front for added privacy, and the bar is located 200 meters away.”_ _

_ _“Perfect!” Clint called out. “Thanks, J!” _ _

_ _Suddenly rejuvenated, Clint and darted out of the room toward their quarters. _ _

_ _Steve sighed deeply, slumping down so his cheek was pressed against the table. _ _

_ _“Rogers!” Fury said sharply, causing Steve to snap to attention and sit up straight._ _

_ _“Yes, sir?” Steve replied, sounding weary. _ _

_ _“Get out of here as well, go take a break and don’t let me see you back in this facility for at least 10 days,” He ordered. “And I would suggest you choose a different island from those two if you want to actually relax.” _ _

_ _“Yes, sir!” Steve said with a smile, and quickly left the room to make his own plans. _ _

_ _

_ _Later that night, Clint and Bucky lay awake, too excited to finally be going on a real vacation to sleep much, despite their exhaustion from the mission. _ _

_ _“I forgot about Pina Coladas,” Clint said. _ _

_ _“What about them?” Bucky asked. _ _

_ _“They are the perfect beach drink. They are often served in coconuts, totally tiny umbrella appropriate, and I can ask them to add bits of fruit skewered onto a little plastic sword.” _ _

_ _“Sounds great, babe,” Bucky mumbled. He shifted positions so his face was pressed into Clints shoulder, and his arm was thrown across Clints chest. “Now shut the fuck up and go to sleep.” _ _

_ _Clint laughed and kissed Bucky’s forehead. “I love you too.”_ _

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading everyone! 
> 
> If you enjoyed this, please feel free to come follow me on twitter and scream at me about it there! I'm @Queerily_K
> 
> Big thanks to the mods for organizing this bang!


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